Positive Relating

Who We Are

Ryan McAllister is a long-time parent- and child-advocate. He co-parents a child with a rare genetic variation and significant developmental differences. Ryan has co-founded several relationship building organizations and projects, including:

NotJustSkin.org, an all-volunteer organization that supports the physical and emotional well being of parents, children, and communities.

Maitri House, a family-inclusive intentional community in the DC area that operates by values-based consensus.

The Human Support Group, a twice-monthly practice and support group for people of all ages.

Ryan has over eight years of experience in Nonviolent Communication, mindfulness, peer counseling, and parenting by connection. He also serves as research faculty at Georgetown University studying the biophysics of invasive cancer cells.

Tarek Maassarani has litigated human rights cases and investigated government suppression of climate change research but has found his most intense passion in local and international peace-building. He teaches the subject as an adjunct professor at GWU, directs a local, low-income legal and mediation clinic, facilitates dialogue circles and peace workshops for youth, and consults for a peace education program that he helped establish at an inner city DC school. He has worked on peace advocacy in the Middle East and directed "Sour Milk and Honey," a video-journal style documentary about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Tarek is an inspired student and trainer of Nonviolent Communication and conflict resolution; he gets lots of practice as a father of two and as a member of the Maitri House intentional community.